Nearly 11,000 Vallejo residents are among those selected for a pilot program from Pacific Gas & Electric Co. aimed at lowering energy use, by charging more for it during peak hours, utility officials announced.

PG&E customers should be receiving letters in the mail about a new CPUC “Time of Use” pilot program, in which some 150,000 customers territory-wide will test out this new program, officials said.

“Customers have 90 days to opt out if they don’t want to participate. Those who don’t opt out will be participating in the program starting in April,” they said.

Customers for the first phase were randomly selected from across the utility’s service area “to represent diversity in climate, household size and energy usage, among other factors,” officials said. Besides the nearly 11,000 in Vallejo, nearly 3,000 residents each from Benicia and Napa, are also on the list.

There are some 31,000 customers in PG&E’s North Bay Division and 15,000 in its Sonoma Division, spokeswoman Deanna Contreras said. Vallejo is by far the most impacted community, with 10,779 ratepayers selected, followed by Novato, with 6,472. There will be 3,619 in San Rafael, 2,910 in Benicia and 2,841 in Napa, the announcement says.

In PG&E’s Sonoma Division, 15,080 will be enrolled, with the largest number — 5,089, being in Santa Rosa, followed by 4,468 in Petaluma. Rohnert Park will have 2,614 on the program while Sonoma will have 1,736. There are 2,652 ratepayers in Lake County testing out the program; 871 from Lakeport and 829 from Kelseyville.

The new electric Time-of-Use rate plan aims at promoting more efficient energy use and providing customers with additional rate plan options, Contreras said.

“The best news — it’s a risk-free program with 12 months of bill protection,” officials said. “If customers are aware of the time of day in which energy is most consumed, the hope is that customers will curb energy use during peak times.”

Starting in April, some 150,000 residential electric customers across PG&E’s service area will transition into the new rate plan, unless they choose another rate plan, she said. This is the first phase of a multi-year, statewide effort to create a smarter energy future and healthier environment while balancing the need to keep customer rates affordable, she said.

These new rate plans “support a cleaner and more reliable energy grid by encouraging customers to shift electricity usage to the times of day when demand is lower (off-peak) and renewable resources, like solar power, are more plentiful,” officials said.

Most Californians are on a tiered rate plan where the price of electricity increases as more energy is used. On a Time-of-Use rate plan, WHEN customers use electricity is as important as how much they use. By shifting some usage, such as running the dishwasher or doing laundry during off-peak hours, customers will lower their rate “and help increase our state’s reliance on clean energy,” officials said.

Customers being put on the new Time-of-Use rate plan will be notified by mail, and will be provided with additional information and tools, Contreras said.

Assuming no change in energy usage, most customers on the new plan will either see smaller bills or a small annual bill increase, she said. PG&E will offer bill protection for the first 12 months to allow customers to try the new plan risk-free. During that period, if customers pay more than they would have on their former rate plan, PG&E will credit them with the difference, she said.

The new Time-of-Use plan offers lower priced energy 19 hours each day, while charging higher rates between the peak hours of 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Customers who take no action, will transition into the new Time-of-Use plan in April, but, they will have the option of keeping their current plan or choosing an alternate rate plan, officials said.

PG&E is working with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and other energy companies on this statewide effort. PG&E will work with and learn from this group of customers to help inform and plan for the full rollout of the new Time-of-Use rate plan to all other eligible residential customers, starting either in late 2019 or late 2020, pending a decision by the CPUC.

With the Times-Herald since 1999, Rachel Raskin-Zrihen has been a reporter, writer and columnist for several print and online publications for nearly 30 years. She is the married mother of two grown sons and lives locally.